Compare Supplements

1 mg once daily for male pattern hair loss (Propecia); 5 mg once daily for benign prostatic hyperplasia (Proscar). A prescription drug — use under a clinician.

Any time

Oral tablet (1 mg for hair, 5 mg for BPH)

Prescription-only and indication-dependent. For fertility preservation / intratesticular-testosterone maintenance on TRT, small studies used ~125-500 IU subcutaneously every other day. For spermatogenesis induction in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, typically ~1,000-2,500 IU two to three times weekly (often combined with FSH), titrated to response. For female ovulation/oocyte-maturation trigger, a single dose (~5,000-10,000 IU urinary or 250 µg recombinant). No dietary-supplement dose exists.

Any time

Prescription hCG — recombinant (choriogonadotropin alfa) or urinary-derived, by injection

• Women who are or may become pregnant (handling crushed/broken tablets risks feminization of a male fetus)
• Children / adolescents
• Known hypersensitivity to finasteride

• PSA testing / prostate cancer screening
• Testosterone / anabolic androgens

• Hormone-sensitive tumors (e.g. prostate, breast) or other androgen/estrogen-dependent conditions
• Known hypersensitivity to hCG
• Use without medical supervision

• Exogenous testosterone / anabolic steroids
• FSH / hMG (menotropins)
• Aromatase inhibitors (e.g. anastrozole)